1.1. Aging in Society and in the Individual

The decline in the workforce that will occur as a result of global ageing can have serious economic, political and social consequences. With the increase in the proportion of elderly people in the population, the ratio between the number of people of working age (between 15 and 64 years old) and the number of dependent people (aged under 15 and over 65) also increases, an index called dependency ratio. For example, in 2020, each group of 100 people of working age will support around 43 individuals considered dependent. In 2060, the projection of sustained dependents will increase from 43 to 66 individuals (“IBGE:: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics,” [s.d.]).

‌ The elderly live in a debilitating reality in which several physiological, psychological and social factors contribute to a scenario of exhaustion of resources, where the reduced ability to adapt to new challenges and the constant accumulation of damage at the systemic level establish a state of fragility and, consequently, of vulnerability. This situation is a dynamic process, oscillating between healthy and pathological ageing. When an individual starts to tend to a pathological scenario, there is a high incidence of chronic diseases and neoplasms, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Such diseases, in addition to being extremely debilitating for the individual, are among the most costly diseases for health systems (“Health and Economic Costs of Chronic Disease | About Chronic Disease | Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion | CDC,” [sd] ).